Serendipity
by LuckyGem
Summary: After a brief love affair, Hyuuga Hinata finds her life irrevocably linked with Uchiha Sasuke after one drunken night. 'It's not… happy. Well, it is; it's the happiest I've ever felt. But it's complicated.'
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One, Serendipity.**

* * *

Hinata could feel it.

The traces of her past floating upwards from her tightly-shut heart to her mind where it threatened to shatter her resolve. A past that was not entirely unpleasant. A past…that wasn't exactly a past either.

 _Four weeks_.

She never knew twenty-eight consecutive days could feel as though they were never-ending. She never knew she could even _feel_ something like this anymore. Something so poignant it threatened to unravel everything around her. Everything she had worked so hard on suddenly felt cold and formless like water, and she found herself unable to hold it properly anymore.

"The world will break your heart." Her mother once said as she paused from her work. Hyuuga Hikari pushed her matted hair from her forehead back, exposing an odd pattern. Hinata, who was no older than four at the time, didn't really understand. But she nodded and her mother continued: "But, everyone's world revolves around something different. Sometimes it's a person, sometimes it's a job… But mostly it's never worth the aftermath."

But Hinata was not the little girl who fainted and blushed at the mere mention of anything obscene. She was no longer dictated by her heart. The appearance of her hesitant stutter was a rarity. She was strong and successful and she didn't _want_ a world that she was powerless against. She didn't want her heart shattered by someone so undeserving.

But, Hyuuga Hinata was no coward and she did not hide from her problems, not anymore.

Her world was about to break her heart.

* * *

Hinata looked up to watch the slow, heavy clouds crawl across the sky. The sun was hidden from view and the entire village was cast in a shallow, grey light, it reminded Hinata of waking up after her encounter with Pein. With Sakura next to her, the pair watched the clouds that promised rain advance towards them, as they waited for Naruto with hearts that promised to break.

She turned to look at her blonde-haired comrade. His clothes were torn and the tips of his messy spikes where stained red. He felt her gaze rest on him and he turned to give her one of his long, slow grins that use to evoke so many emotions in her.

She felt nothing.

"He was a bit of a tricky bastard to find, wasn't he?" Naruto grinned angrily, nodding his head in the direction of the missing nin who stumbled a few feet ahead of them. The man's hands were bound behind his back and his head hung low.

"Mm," she agreed. The corners of her lips twitched up wearily as she recalled their adversities in locating the great Kazumichi. Her mask was still pulled over her face so Naruto couldn't see her small but receptive smile. But maybe he saw how her eyes lightened, or maybe he didn't really care about her thoughts and was just happy to be home.

They took the blooded and subdued missing-nin through the back streets, careful to remain out of the view from the citizens of Konoha. Surprisingly, the great Kazumichi was docile and quiet once every chakra point in his body was sealed and his sternum crushed. His breathing was labored and wheezy, but he made no other noise.

Naruto agreed to hand Kazumichi into the interrogation unit and let Hinata go home and shower. She wasn't feeling very well and vomited several times on their way home. His shoes had the proof. Guilt marred her features.

"Thank you, Naruto. But you really don't have to-"

"No I do. It's fine, really. Besides I need to ask Ino something about tonight, so if anything it's convenient!" Naruto gushed, fixing her with his cerulean blue eyes which brimmed with promise and hope. A colour that was most definitely absent from the murky sky today. "Anyway," he continued, grinning. "The longer it takes for me to get home, the more excited Sakura-chan is to see me."

She flexed her gloved fingers. She didn't want to just dump Naruto with Kazumichi, especially if he had other things he'd rather be doing. Sakura, namely. It sometimes took hours to check-in a missing nin to Interrogations. "Naruto," she protested.

He waved her off, breaking into a small jog and unceremoniously pushed their captive forward. Kazumichi released a raspy yelp of agony. "You should take off your mask too! The Anbu masks always gives me headaches." Naruto called.

She watched him disappear behind a corner and heard him say something to Kazumichi along the lines of picking up the pace and he wasn't fooling anyone with his limp.

She sighed, shaking her head as she sauntered forward in the direction of the Hyuuga compound. It was getting late and if she didn't hurry she would be late for Shikamaru's birthday celebrations.

* * *

After a slight hesitation, Hinata slipped inside the door. The aroma of smoke, alcohol and sweat hit her as she moved from the entrance. The bar was packed and it was obvious she was one of the last to arrive. Chewing the side of her lip, she carefully searched the crowd. Sakura met her gaze and waved.

Sakura produced two shots of vodka from the bar and handed one eagerly to Hinata. Her apple green eyes glimmered in the evocative way Hinata had, so often, heard Naruto muse about.

Hinata eyed the drink. She never liked vodka, but right now even the thought of the drink's astringent taste made her stomach churn. "I'm not drinking tonight," she murmured.

Sakura blinked. "Oh right, of course. Naruto said something about you not feeling well on the mission." A perfect strand of pink hair fell across her eyes as she closed in on Hinata. "Do you-"

"I'm fine," Hinata said quickly, slipping out of the medic's reaching hands. "Allergies." She supplied as Sakura's expression darkened.

Ino was more than eager to drink the spare vodka and Hinata watched the two old friends giggle and murmur to each other as they promptly ordered seconds. With a fond smile Hinata reverted her gaze from the suddenly bickering girls to scan the dimly lit bar.

She spotted Kiba on the dance floor chatting to a pretty blonde, and Shino was conversing quietly with Tenten and Lee. But it was the small, intimate group leaning against the bar that caught her attention, and she immediately wished they didn't. Naruto was sitting on a bar-stool with his arms outstretched proudly showing his newest scar. But it wasn't the girls hovering around him that caught Hinata's attention and refused to release it. Uchiha Sasuke was leaning against the bar with a smirk and a red-head.

She found herself unable to look away from the intimate exchange as Sasuke leaned closer, his lips almost brushing against the woman's ears. The red-head's fingers reflectively dug into the bar when his lips ghosted her throat. Hinata watched the pair until Sasuke's jaw flexed and he looked up to search the crowd for the pair of burning eyes he felt. She dropped her gaze just before his smoldering stare reached her and she dove behind Shikamaru. Pressing her form as close to the bar as she could, she hastily ordered a drink.

Shikamaru eyed her for a moment. She wore all black and there was an unusual scowl pinned across her cheeks. She looked distressed and breathless. _Unusual._ "Hey," he finally said.

Her body went rigid, before she recognised the deep, lazy tone of the Nara. She turned her head to smile at him. Her eyes looked like two reflective moons fringed by thick fluttering lashes underneath the smoke and shadows of the bar. "Happy birthday," she said. "Are you having a good night?"

He bristled awkwardly. Large, rambunctious gatherings were not his idea of an entertaining night; however he was enjoying the party because everyone else seemed to be. Especially his girlfriend who was currently playing a game of truth and dare with Sakura - and several strange men. "Troublesome."

She agreed, laughing softly as she reached forward to take her drink off the grimacing barmaid.

"Lemonade and vodka?" Shikamaru raised an inquisitive eyebrow as he eyed her fruity drink.

"No," Hinata paused. "Just lemonade."

Something about the cautious interest that crept into the Nara's eyes made her shrink backwards. In a desperate attempt to remain composed under Shikamaru's scrutiny she averted her attention towards her drink. She stared deep into the glass, as though it contained the most intriguing secret.

Shikamaru watched her for a moment longer; taking in the unwelcoming frown curled along her lips and how her cheeks were stained red in fury or worry, he couldn't tell. Her body was set in all hard lines and her muscles were tensed. She looked on edge. As though she was about to attack, or, fracture and breakdown in an opulent fashion. He wasn't sure which scared him more: a violent or a crying woman. Both made him shudder.

"So," he coughed, clearing his throat. "How have you been Hinata?"

"Fine,"

"That's good," Shikamaru nodded. "I haven't seen you in a while."

She remained perfectly still, apart from her pale finger that began to tap against the glass with jittery urgency. Her gaze remained fixed downwards and gave away nothing. "I've been away on Anbu missions,"

"I thought you were avoiding something,"

She stiffened. A cold wave of anxiety flooded through her body as she snapped to look at him. Something wholly unfriendly lay within her cold, fixed stare.

"I-I was joking," he mentioned shakily. He straightened his posture and released the caustic Hyuuga from his stare. He gazed across the room, taking in the hazy appearances of his team-mates beneath the shadowy lighting of the bar. Everyone seemed perfectly absorbed in their own encounters, unaware of him or the brooding Hyuuga. Apart from the dark-haired man staring – no, _glaring_ – at him.

The Nara dropped his gaze, unsure of where the malignancy stemmed from. He wasn't doing anything litigious. He was only talking to the quiet Hyuuga Hinata. A purely innocent affair. But jealousy laced the dark-haired figure's glower. It was in that moment, peering into the murky contents of his glass, harrowing realisation flashed across Shikamaru's eyes.

He looked at her, something was _off_ about the Hyuuga. Something was very off.

His lips parted, a keen question played along the edge of his mouth when someone abruptly threw their arms around his shoulders.

Hinata's breathing evened. She welcomed the distraction Ino presented.

The blonde's arms looped around Shikamaru's shoulder, and she pressed her cheek against his. Her eyes were closed and a drowsy smile stretched across her lips. "Sakura just punched someone."

"How… troublesome." Shikamaru commented.

"It was funny," Ino countered coyly. Her eyes slid open to peer at Hinata then. "Hinata let's do shots!" The hazy blonde began to detach herself from Shikamaru and move towards the indigo-haired Anbu operative.

Shikamaru sighed, before his hand reached forward to jerk his rather drunken girlfriend back towards him. Ino's expression soured, and her famed temper flared across her delicate features. "Shikamaru-" she warned.

"Hinata's not drinking tonight." Shikamaru waved her off. Though he wasn't looking at his petulant girlfriend. No, he was staring directly at Hinata. His knowing brown eyes seared deep into her paler ones. Hinata could see the realisation unfurl within his mind. He was far too observant for her liking. Far too _smart_.

"Oh yes, Naruto said something about that… Hinata are you okay? I heard you got sick on his _shoe_." Ino giggled, amusement etched into her slurred voice. The blonde looked rather unsteady as she began to sway backwards and then forwards. However, this time Shikamaru's attention was focused solely on Hinata.

"Food poisoning," Hinata countered coolly.

"I thought it was allergies-" Ino started.

"Allergies?" A soft, sanguine voice cut in.

Hinata froze. Her heart teetered and skidded to a grand halt, assaulting her entire being with a cold and all-consuming sense of dread. The air grew stagnant and pregnant with tension, and something else. Something corrosive that caused her chest to tighten and Hinata swore she couldn't breathe for several long, perilous moments.

 _Four weeks._

The Hyuuga looked up.

Onyx clashed with white.

She felt her stomach lurch forward sickeningly. The whole room seemed to spin on its axis and whirl out of focus. Time grounded to an uneven stop and left her mouth dry and she scrabbled for her voice. Her heartbeat jolted to a start. Clattering off her chest in great clamorous thuds that rose in octave, until all she could comprehend was the relentless thrumming of her heart in her ears.

He was looking at her. He was waiting for her reply. _Everyone_ was looking at her -waiting for her reply.

Uchiha Sasuke was dressed exclusively in black. The colourings of his attire clashed against the deathly pallor of his skin. His midnight eyes crawled across the length of her form; her skin erupting in flames in the wake of his smoldering stare. His dark glance stopped on her face, and his eyes widened. He took in her unfamiliar expression with a curious frown. Her usual soft and welcoming features were set in defensive and unyielding lines. Thinly hidden terror tinged her white eyes.

Shikamaru's eyebrow quirked as he watched the heated exchange between Sasuke and Hinata. It was curious… Shikamaru realised blearily, the two _shouldn't_ know each other. Yet there was a distinct familiarity between the duo. It was almost tangible. Whatever _it_ was between them seemed to spill out from their stare, and ebb into the air. The two seemed perfectly unaware of anyone else in that pivotal moment as they drank in each other's features.

Hinata's lips parted. The maddening drone of her beating heart in her ears drowned out any sound. The room seemed to whirl and everything but Sasuke shifted out of focus. Her stomach hurled. She could see her look of horror and barely contained nausea confused him. His liquid blackness eyed narrowed. _He_ didn't even seem to be blinking. _She_ didn't appear to be breathing, he noted.

 _Say something_ , she ordered herself frantically. "I need to see Kiba," she said thickly. She swallowed hard. It felt as though there were tiny shards of glass lodged deep into her throat. "Ino, Shikamaru," she croaked, before pausing and wincing internally. "Sasuke."

She didn't look at him as she slipped away, holding her drink so tightly she worried the glass might just shatter brilliantly. She felt ill. She could feel his eyes burning into her back as she fled across the crowded dance floor.

She stumbled into Kiba unceremoniously. He caught her, of course. Steadying his pale-eyed and flushed team-mate, he watched her. "Hinata are you okay?"

The busty blonde he'd been previously conversing with looked a little affronted by Hinata's abrupt entrance. She frowned at how Kiba's tentative hands held Hinata's waist.

"I-I'm fine." Hinata stammered, blushing even harder at the return of her childhood stutter. The appearance of her stutter unnerved Kiba. He'd hadn't heard the Hyuuga's nervous verbal tendency in _years_. She evened out her breathing. Placing a hand on Kiba's shoulder she lightly pushed him away and straightened up. "I'm okay, really. I just feel a little sick from today's mission."

Her eyes were an ivory concoction of tremulous emotions. She blinked. Trying to smile and failing. She became acutely aware of the irritated blonde's pointed glower. She ignored it. Fixing her attention to one of her oldest friends.

"Are you sure? Do you need me to walk you home or-"

"N-no!" Hinata peeped. An unnerving smile knitted itself across her full lips in a vain attempt to calm her teammate. "I'm fine, really. I'm going to sit with Tenten and Shino now." The Hyuuga detached herself from Kiba's hold. He put up no protest to her evasive ministrations. He simply stared with wide confused eyes.

The pretty blonde beside him quivered as unveiled anger burned deep within her eyes. Hinata bit her lip. "It was nice meeting you," she mentioned absently.

Without another word the Hyuuga dipped into the crowd, leaving both Kiba and his female companion staring after her. She welcomed the darkness of the dimly lit bar and how easy it was to disappear into the moving expanse of bodies which cluttered the floor.

Hinata moved towards the secluded booth where her friends sat. It was located at the back of the bar and a lone, thick burgundy candle supplied the ambient lighting. Tenten smiled at her, while Shino showed his affection for his beloved team-mate in a receptive grunt. Lee, however, attached himself to her in a grand, arduous embrace for several moments. She blushed and slid into the seat next to Shino.

She felt her heartbeat slow into a mellifluous rhythm as she relaxed. Her stomach however, churned and lurched at the astringent odour of alcohol and smoke. Her head throbbed too - the start of a magnificent headache. But it was the blunt and constant agony radiating from her heart which gnawed at Hinata the most.

Lee entertained the trio with gallant stories of previous missions and his unrivaled determination for bettering himself. Hinata remained quiet, and appreciated the fact neither of her friends interrogated her about her ghostly pallor or how tense she seemed. They ignored her, and for that Hinata was grateful.

She wasn't sure how long she spent in that booth, clutching her stomach discreetly as her mind tripped over silly memories causing her heart to quicken. She left, somewhere between Naruto and Lee's spontaneous dance-off and Ino slapping Sai for some derogatory comment. She simply disappeared. No one noticed.

Her fingers eased the large wooden door open and she slipped into the night's inky darkness. Her hair an amethyst ribbon, billowed behind her in the sweet-scented breeze. She welcomed the night's chill and how it cooled her burning cheeks.

She felt so tired. So drained. As though every particle of her being was about to collapse and refuse to function henceforth.

She stumbled forward, replaying tonight's phantasmagoric encounter with Sasuke. It had been so long since she last looked into the dark uncharted waters of his eyes.

She paused her slow assault towards her home to take in the scene of Konoha: its city lights twinkling underneath the vast empty blackness of the night sky. Tonight, she thought, the sky resembled a black, timeworn blanket hung with a sense of gloom. There was an innate sadness that seemed to loom over everything, pressing down on her firmly.

She bit her lip, refusing to allow any silly emotions to spill. She felt as though if anyone looked too hard at her, or for too long she would fracture, and feelings and thoughts would overflow from her lips, but mainly her eyes. Gaping splinters and fractures ran the length of her once perfect composure.

She continued onward, disappearing into the deserted outskirts of the city. The Hyuuga compound boasted a large chunk of land along the city limits. Away from the swarming noises and inhabitants of the main streets. There was always a distinct lonesomeness about the compound. A quietness that oozed the melancholy of unsaid words.

The heiress was once told she focused too much on the past. Perhaps they were right. For someone with _all seeing_ eyes, Hinata could be terribly unobservant at times.

Stepping into a shallow pool of moonlight, Hinata paused. She wasn't alone. Opaque eyes widened. She hadn't been alone since the moment she left the bar.

They stood directly behind her. A shadow fell across her figure.

"Hinata,"

Their voice quiet, cold and _familiar_.

She froze. Her heart skittering to an abrupt halt.

They remained like that for some time. Basking in the serenity of the crisp spring night, listening to Hinata's jagged breathing.

She turned then, her eyes wide and afraid. She regarded him with an unfamiliar emotion that caused his lips to straighten into an abrasive scowl.

Sasuke. He stood before her, clad in all black attire. Inky spikes billowed and fluttered in the breeze; revealing slits of red framed by thick lashes.

Her breath hitched as she took in his infamous kekkei genkai. Glowing faintly against the monochrome backdrop, she felt her knees buckle.

He eyed her face. Watching the congeries of loss, longing and memory reflect within the watery depths of her eyes. "What's-" he began to inquisition.

"Sasuke." Her voice was a thick foggy whisper. A plead almost.

In horror she watched his blooded eyes tear away from her astounded expression towards her stomach. Something rather curious had caught his attention.

 _There_. A small, but strong chakra signature glowed. A perfect mixture of the two.

"I'm pregnant," she mentioned.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2, Serendipity.**

* * *

 _His lips were_ everywhere _, and she was catching_ fire.

 _They spilled out from the warmly-lit bar into the alleyway in a flurry of exploring hands and misplaced mouths. The encompassing shadows of midnight consumed the pair; though neither appeared to notice as his lips stitched pretty words against her oh-so lovely skin._

 _He paused, abruptly. Her starry eyes fluttered open in question, her cheeks still tinged a magnificent scarlet. Unsaid words swam across the black uncharted waters of his eyes._

 _A brief moment of hesitation; of questioning whether this, her_ –them – _was a good idea. He bit his lip, watching the heiress twitch and quiver beneath him. She was a pretty picture in her white dress against bleak surroundings. And he wanted it all. Now._

 _His eyes, dark and covetous seared into hers, like they had so many times before._

" _Sasuke," she breathed as his hand ensnared hers._

* * *

Sakura lay perfectly still, an ivory and rose-tinted statue. Apart from the green slits of her eyes that watched the sporadic raindrops dash against the windowpane.

Naruto lay beneath her, his tanned fingers rubbing a soothing pattern of loops across her back as he recounted last night. His voice was a little too loud for Sakura's throbbing head, but she said nothing. Only vaguely listening to him as she dipped in and out of the wonderful serenity of unconsciousness.

She had a shift in the hospital in just under an hour. She winced, pressing her cheek against Naruto's chest. Nestling into the warmth he presented.

"…And Hinata was just acting so weird. First she got sick on my shoe," Naruto sniffed. Despondence and mourning for his shoe suffused his languid tone. "Then, she kept insisting on stopping for food during the mission."

Sakura nodded against his chest, she wasn't really paying attention to his story. Her head was too sore and she could think of far _better_ things to do with Naruto. All of which included less talking and far more tentative lips and wandering hands.

"…She kept ordering onigiri too! She said she had been craving since we left Konoha," Naruto continued.

Sakura paused. Her small, willowy form tensed and she propped herself up on her elbows to regard the blonde with suspicious eyes. "She had cravings for onigiri?"

The Uzumaki didn't really understand Sakura's sudden interest. There was a strange accusative scowl pinned to her cheeks and her forehead was scrunched. He shrugged. Hinata's abrupt adoration for onigiri wasn't her largest wrongdoing in his eyes; it was her sullen and reserved mood last night. "She didn't even have a drink for Shikamaru's birthday."

Realisation flashed across Sakura's verdant eyes as her lips parted. "Oh,"

* * *

The heady smell of jasmine and lilies peppered the air as the breeze filtered through the flora of the garden. Hinata stood perfectly still on the little wooden bridge that crossed the stream that teetered and curved through the Hyuuga grounds.

She was dressed exclusively in black – a stark contrast to the vivid hues and tints of dawn. Great sweeping swirls of pink, pale blue and lilac painted the morning sky, casting everything in an odd, almost unsettling pale glow.

It was a still morning. The rain had eased off. No sound – even the morning birdsong was absent from the heavy silence that weighed down upon the air.

Hinata bit her lip and shrank away from the memories of last night which assaulted her mind in a violent barrage of icy encounters with the Uchiha. Confusion ebbed and swelled among her watery eyes as she forced herself to contemplate the future. A future so starkly different from the one she imagined as a little girl.

There was no opulent marriage, no cosy home. _No Naruto_ – a fact she'd been so set on in her youth. She was going to end up with the easy to adore Uzumaki and he would rid her of every struggle and insecurity she ever had with one his easy, carefree smirks. Hinata had never once – even for a moment – pondered a future tangled with the dark-haired Uchiha. Until several months ago.

She blushed, despite herself as she ruminated the feeling of his lips against her skin and how his eyes darkened when he laughed. How his smirk always deepened when she'd _blush_ , how he said _her_ name-

"Hinata,"

She stiffened, before she whirled around to focus on the wiry figure standing in a pool of shade. The breeze tugged at their hair and loose shirt.

"Hanabi," Hinata greeted her younger sister with a degree of caution that caused Hanabi to stare suspiciously.

Something about Hinata was _off._ Hanabi was sure of that. Her elder sister had been acting strange for a while now. There was an unfamiliar gleam in her eyes at such curious times. A knowing secretive gleam that Hanabi's power of observation were not privy to – and Hanabi hated it. She loathed not understanding her surroundings. Hanabi was an analytical and assiduous person. She liked to observe and watch things unfold, and manipulate them thus. She was so use to reading Hinata like an open book. But her once transparent sister had moulded into a secretive and sombre heiress, and Hanabi didn't like it.

"What are you doing?" Hanabi asked. The blazing dawn painted her reflective eyes a fiery pink. She looked pretty. She _is_ pretty, Hinata thought maternally. Hanabi had grown up at some point, and Hinata had missed it.

"I'm going to buy flowers and talk to Ino,"

"Why?"

Hinata moved towards her, ignoring the estranged look plastered across Hanabi's face. Though Hinata was four years her senior, Hanabi was taller. She had a willowy lean form. Hinata had always been the soft, delicately spun one – both in exterior and interior. But not anymore, somewhere between the Fourth Shinobi War and relentless Anbu missions, her delicacy had faded and hardened. Hinata's once tangible innocence stripped. She really did hope Hanabi would never change.

Hinata smiled sadly as she ran a small hand through Hanabi's inky hair. Hanabi pretended to look affronted and chose to look away, an embarrassed scowl tugged at the ends of her lips. "I'll see you this evening," Hinata promised.

"No you won't. I'm training with Konohamaru for the day." Hanabi tried to look casual. She did try. But the besotted gleam residing deep within the usual icy pools of her eyes was sacrosanct.

"Have fun," was all Hinata said. Her smile practised and perfected. Naruto had informed Hinata on their mission yesterday that Konohamaru was madly, deeply and thoroughly in love with his team-mate, Moegi. What was another heartbreak from a future Hokage to the Hyuuga sisters anyway?

* * *

When he stumbled upon her, she was outside the flower shop. Cradling a single red tulip in her small, caring hands. He froze at the simple sight of her, forgetting his train of thought. As he neared her things such as _reason_ and _logic_ seemed to disappear.

"What are you doing?" he asked honestly.

She didn't bother to acknowledge his presence, but merely continued to admire the flower display. Her fingers traced the silken petals of the tulip. A lock of amethyst fell in front of her eyes, but she ignored that too. His jaw stiffened as he beheld the Hyuuga, waiting for her to say something, anything – scream or cry – but she didn't. She refused to acknowledge his presence. And that irritated the Uchiha. A lot.

For some inane reason, he reached forward. Seizing her tiny wrist and tugged her towards him. Forcing her distant starry eyes to focus on the germinating tempest within his gaze. She complied, allowing him to reel her closer to him, for reasons unbeknownst to both of them.

He positioned her directly in front of him. So he could see the entirety of her and she could feel his warm hurried breath on her cheeks. She locked eyes with him, and didn't falter once. A cold, stagnant silence answered him, and he hated it with every fiber of being.

She looked profoundly different from last night. No large imploring eyes with cascading tears. No trembling bottom lip. No, there was something new in her astral eyes that Sasuke found himself unable to read. Normally her eyes were translucent windows to her thoughts and emotions to him. However, today, they were reflective mirrors. His confused expression look back at him from their ivory depths.

She, too, appeared to be studying him, searching for something to reveal his intentions.

She raised a subtle eyebrow, and he found himself unable to answer immediately. Words clung to his throat like metal shrapnel from a shuriken wound. He frowned. "What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, looking away as they both knew he didn't give a damn about why she was here.

She answered anyway. Her voice feathery and velveteen. "I'm getting flowers," she paused before continuing. "I always buy flowers on Sunday mornings."

He nodded. Not really sure why she felt the need to tell him such trivial facts. He also found it hard to focus on much else other than the fact that her small, careful wrist was still encased within his steely grip. She wasn't resisting his grip either, which made the embrace even more strange and confusing.

A reply seemed to bubble across his lips, but he remained silent. His eyes searing into hers with a ferocity that almost made her blush. Almost. "Sasuke?"

His gaze flickered downwards towards her abdomen and he opened his mouth.

"Sasuke? Hinata?" A languid voice called.

The pair stiffened. Hinata felt a burning red blush crawl over her cheeks as she whirled around to face their persecutor. She pulled at her hand, but Sasuke's grip tightened in response. In fact, Hinata almost swore he drew her closer to him. Angling her behind him.

"Shikamaru!" Hinata breathed.

"Hey," he returned aloofly. The Nara genius opted to stroll nearer the couple for a closer inspection. He stopped, glancing at Hinata's hand encased in Sasuke's before he added slowly: "What are you two up to?"

"N-nothing!" Hinata stammered.

"Buying flowers." Sasuke commented, never taking his eyes off Shikamaru.

"Okay?" Shikamaru returned slowly. He paused, frowning, as he tried to figure out the kekkei genkai users in front of him. Something was most definitely _off_ as he had suspected last night. Hinata's burning cheeks and white eyes full of dread suggested that. But it was Sauske's almost protective stance around the bumbling heiress that confirmed it for the Nara. Sasuke didn't like anyone. He _loathed_ being touched. And yet, here was the Uchiha initiating physical contact with _Hinata_.

The two had a sort of tangible synergy between them.

It was…curious. And very interesting.

Shikamaru opened his mouth to pry further when his mercurial girlfriend appeared at the doorway of her shop. An accusatory scowl stretched across her lips as she took in the heated exchange in front of her.

Sasuke looked murderous. Hinata looked as though she was about to faint. Shikamaru looked bemused?

"What's going on?" Ino demanded.

"Nothing," Hinata said quickly.

"I was just conversing with Sasuke and Hinata." Shikamaru explained, walking towards the blonde kunoichi.

Ino, too, looked confused over Sasuke and Hinata's proximity. She didn't think the two actually knew each other, never mind…held hands? She'd never even seen them talking on missions or at the pub. Ino's eyes narrowed into the icy blue glare she was famous for. They sliced into the pair, analytically searching for a clue or hint within kekkei genkai users' expressions. Hinata with her timorous eyes and parted lips looked a doe caught in headlights, while Sasuke merely looked affronted at the inconvenience Ino and Shikamaru's presence presented.

Ino threaded closer to Shikamaru. "What are you doing here?"

Hinata's lips floundered helplessly for a moment, ivory eyes flickered towards Sasuke hoping for him to respond. He stared at the couple with a vacant expression. The overwhelming drone of her heart beating in her ears caused her stomach to lurch forward. She felt a long, hot slow blush crawl up her neck to their cheeks.

She took a step towards Ino and Shikamaru as she, firmly but slowly, detracted herself from Sasuke. There was too much at stake for the truth to come out at this moment. A thin smile curled around her lips.

"I'm buying flowers?"

It sounded like question. Everyone peered at her. Hinata could _feel_ the waves of simmering irritation emitting from the Uchiha behind her. His glare on her back corroded her composure like an acid spill.

Her voice was quiet but even: "Flowers for Neji, it's a Sunday."

Ino's expression softened and she stepped towards the delicate Hyuuga, grabbing her hand she towed the white eyed girl into the shop. Murmuring something about yellow chrysanthemums and ivory lilies in a sombre tone. The kunoichi disappeared into the modest, yet vaguely impressive flower shop leaving Shikamaru alone with the Uchiha.

A suffocating sense of awkwardness settled over the two shinobi. Shikamaru began to toe the ground with his shoe, creating illogical patterns and loops as he gathered his thoughts. The Uchiha looked as he always did, impassive and in control. Except, upon closer inspection the Nara noted Sasuke's jaw was tensed and locked in a manner that suggested he was weighing up options. His eyes; dark cataclysmic spheres stared so intently after the two kunoichi, Shikamaru worried they would flicker red at any moment.

Sasuke looked… _confused_. It was such a strange emotion to see painted over the prodigy's face. Shikamaru bristled. "So, why are you here?"

"Hinata." He said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

" _Why?"_

The Uchiha stiffened, his entire body going rigid. His jaw flexed, hinting barely constrained anger, before his eyes snapped around to confront Shikamaru's inquisitive gaze. Confusion ebbed within the black pools of his eyes for several moments, as though he didn't know the answer himself. The Uchiha _hated_ not being in control. He was a wholly logical person. He liked using reason and sensibility to figure out his problems. But everything about the Hyuuga was irrational, nonsensical and utterly intriguing. He had no idea _why_ Hinata and not some other kunoichi. Sasuke had been trying to figure that out for himself all day.

" _Why_ are you here?" was all Sasuke snapped.

Shikamaru blinked. "Ino."

" _Why?"_ Sasuke returned.

Sasuke's lips opened again but abruptly closed and he returned his focus to the nuisance of a flower shop. He was aware his question made little sense. Shikamaru was at the flower shop with Ino as the pair were _together_. The Uchiha internally cringed away from that word. Together.

Sasuke didn't need anyone. He never did.

He didn't _want_ to need anyone.

So why was he here with Hinata? Why had he been _accidentally_ stumbling upon her for the last year? Why was he so drawn to her? She was everything he'd been taught to detest: weak body, limited chakra, too polite, useless kekkei genkai, _girly_ , submissive to her clan, too quiet – t _oo loud_. He paused.

Except not all of that was true. She was being groomed to take over her clan in the upcoming year and she'd never been useless on any of their Anbu missions. Her Byakugan had the longest range out of her entire clan. And as for her weak body, well he'd found other uses for it…

The rational part of his mind kicked back into full force, slicing through the irrational haze of confusion he felt. But even Hinata's redeemable qualities were still not enough to make this a favorable situation. This was the last thing Sasuke wanted or needed.

Shikamaru bit back a coy smile as he beheld the conflicted Uchiha. Sasuke, appeared to be having an internal war amongst himself concerning a certain pale-eyed kunoichi. Shikamaru was thoroughly enthralled; he'd never seen Sasuke so unnerved before.

"Goodbye Ino," Hinata called softly as she emerged from the shop, her arms overflowing with flowers. She smiled at Shikamaru and walked forward. She didn't stop. Though neither Ino nor Shikamaru caught it, white eyes met black for a moment.

Sasuke's attention flickered to the Nara for a brief moment. Something wholly challenging yet vulnerable flickered across his features before he followed after Hinata.

Ino leaned into Shikamaru, resting her head in the crook of his neck. She exhaled sharply. "What the hell was that?"

"I have no idea," he lied.

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, the two dojutsu users, did not exchange a single word to each other on their way to the remembrance garden. They walked with close proximity and upon occasion Sasuke grabbed Hinata's wrist to tug her out of the way of oncoming groups of shinobi returning home from missions and a drunk, swaying civilian man. Hinata seemed a little distracted and preoccupied. Sasuke seemed more than okay to be vigilant enough for both.

They received perplexed looks – it was their first time really being seen together. Sasuke looked at Hinata; she had a small blush tinting her cheeks. His lips twitched upwards. He thought the insecure heiress would have been far more uncomfortable and embarrassed by the attention the pair were receiving. Her gaze remained fixed forward and her full lips were set in a hard, pointedly defiant line.

The remembrance garden was nestled into hills at the most northern point of the village. Tsunade erected the garden with its perpetual thin veil of mist and flagstone steps just after the war. Various monuments and statues with thousands of names carved elegantly into the stone dotted the garden. Drooping willow trees and resplendent cherry blossoms eschewed the sun and cast the garden in a dappled light.

Sasuke stood – albeit awkwardly – behind the Hyuuga. Her fingers curled tightly around her bouquet of flowers for several moments before she laid them carefully against a stone monument, mottled with emerald moss. Her long, silvery fingers traced the loops and lines of her beloved cousin's names before she stepped back.

The silence ebbed and flowed, neither broke it. Sasuke welcomed the quietude. A tempest of questions germinated within his conflicted mind. He did nothing on a whim. He did not follow the Hyuuga here to simply spend time with her. He opened his mouth and took a step forward. He'd grown weary and tiresome of this charade. He didn't care about her dead cousin, and she knew that.

"Hinata-" he started. Her name on his lips sounded profoundly colder than usual. She flinched, and his merciless and unyielding gaze caught it. A weakness, he thought, just one of her many.

"Do you want me to put this flower against Itachi's monument?" Hinata inquired. Her voice a heady breathless whisper. She toyed with the dusty pink orchid clutched in her small pale hands.

He blinked. He looked taken a back for a moment. Where the hell did _that_ come from? Sasuke thought. Most of the time he could read and calculate Hinata's next movements and actions with unprecedented ease. But sometimes she completely confounded him. "What?" he snapped. He exhaled, suddenly struck with anger and indignation.

She was angled towards him, but her gaze was focused on something else entirely. He hated when she did that – gave him only have her attention. Rage swelled deep within him. His patience growing thin with her, he moved forward. Seizing her shoulder he held her tightly, forcing her to acknowledge him. She looked shocked by his bold move. Her eyes wide and frightened.

"Stop being an idiot." Sasuke quipped. She didn't even flinch at the insult. He called her that so many times the name seemed to be an odd term of endearment at this stage. "Stop evading the situation Hinata. This isn't one of your normal problems you can run from."

Hurt flashed across her features as she stared at him. It always shocked her how well he seemed to know her. Her form became rigid and tense in his arms. She attempted to wrench herself from his grip. He did not release her. In fact his hold tightened. Hinata swore she saw a glint of red flicker across his eyes.

" _This_ ," she whispered harshly, "is not a problem." Sasuke's gaze flickered to her abdomen for a brief moment. "And get off me. Just because I'm pregnant d-doesn't mean you have some sort of control over me. You don't have to mind me. You don't have to follow me around and pretend to care either. I'm fine."

Sasuke's cheek twitched. She didn't look fine. He could feel small tremors course through her body. Her wide eyes were glazed with a thin layer of unbridled tears. She had stuttered too. Her speech impediment was a rarity lately. Its appearance hinted to the Uchiha that she was most certainly _not fine_.

But the amethyst haired kunoichi had struck a chord. Her words had affected him, somehow. While he didn't exert any sort of control over her, he knew there was no way he would let her go on an S ranked mission without him, or even let Gaara touch her – even if she consented. He didn't _have_ to mind her as though it was an unwanted chore. He sort of enjoyed it. Though he would never admit to it.

 _Pretend to care_. Those words whirled nauseously through his head. He dropped his hold on her and looked away. Hinata blinked, staring down at her now free hands with an odd emotion. She hadn't expected him to let her go so easily. A strange hollow feeling oozed throughout her body with the absence of his touch.

He watched the sunset. The messy clouds ablaze with the last flickers of sunlight seemed to enthrall him for a moment. He could sense her gnawing apprehension beside him. She was worried – despite herself – that she'd annoyed him.

"Hinata," he finally said after a long, uneasy silence. Her heart fluttered. He spoke her name in the most unusual way; overemphasis of the _Hina_.

His eyes appeared dark orange in the afterglow of the day. They slid seamlessly from the sky to Hinata. He watched her face move in and out of shadows. Her mouth parted and her empty hands clasped into tiny fists. He almost frowned at her oversized and uncomplimentary choice in clothing. He never liked when she wore dark colours.

"You're pregnant," he started. His voice was low and even. Hinata drank in his features, grasping desperately for a hint of clue what he was feeling. "After the war I decided that I did not want an heir. I wanted the Uchiha name to cease with me."

Hinata's breath hitched. He watched a small influx of fear flood her face. She opened her lips and then closed them. "And now?" Hinata gulped as though she swallowed a mouthful of broken glass.

A pause ensued. It seemed to drag out a little, but Hinata knew that Sasuke liked to contemplate everything before committing himself fully. Sasuke never did anything on a whim, despite what he claimed.

"And now, it would not suit me if something happened to the baby," he admitted.

Hinata's stomach lurched and her face grew hot. _The baby_.

Sasuke's jaw clenched, as he considered his words. "I think it would be best if you gave up missions and went to a medic, perhaps Sakura and then you could – _Hinata?"_ Sasuke interjected staring at the Hyuuga with a perplexed expression.

His confusion turned to fury as Hinata, clutching her stomach, promptly vomited on his shoe.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three, Serendipity,**

* * *

 _Her heart, caged like a bird in her chest, thrummed with a strange sort of feeling as the palace came into view. The desert sky, a canvas of darkened colours stretched over their heads, gloriously brilliant in the dipping sun._

 _Hinata's eyes, two perfect moons, watched the Anbu captain stop to converse with the Suna guards who flanked the ornate wooden door. His gloved hands reached upwards to remove his porcelain mask. Muted red glowing eyes met the gazes of the guards who grunted and stepped aside, granting his Anbu team admission._

 _The two kunoichi trailed behind their male counter parts. Ino's long fingers peeled back her own mask, exposing a dangerous grin._

 _"Shouldn't you take off your mask too?" Ino asked, leaning over to whisper into the shell of Hinata's ear. Her bony elbow jutted forward, nudging Hinata's waist suggestively._

 _Hinata shook her head, the words trapped in her throat as the Kazekage stepped forward. His crimson hair was a little longer than before, but his eyes were still the same perfect shade of green. Shikamaru skirted around the uninterested Uchiha and bowed in greeting. A d_ _issipated_ _smile blossomed across his rugged features, though it was not directed at the Kazekage, but at the spiky haired women looming beside the puppeteer._

 _"Or are you hoping Gaara won't notice it's you?" The Yamanaka's plump lips allured. Her eyes were wicked and playful, reveling in the Hyuuga's discomfort until her attention reverted to Shikamaru. A marauding scowl pinched her cheeks and mouth. "I hate Suna," Ino seethed as Temari placed a kiss on Shikamaru's cheek - in a manner Hinata had witnessed countless times. "I don't know how you ever lived here."_

* * *

The silvery moonlight caught the shiny surface of the blade as it whirled through the air. A gloved hand snapped forward and closed around the kunai.

He caught it. _Of course_ he did.

Hinata heard her teammates stifle back an outraged gasp. Even the two other Anbu operatives who flanked _him_ , looked on in shock. However the Hyuuga's attention remained on the Anbu captain standing several feet in front of her. The breeze tugged at his white cloak and the ends of his inky black hair.

He held her blade in his hands for another moment, before he pocketed it. Though his face was hidden behind a porcelain mask, Hinata knew an unfriendly smirk was unfurling along his lips. He appeared to be amused. No one else was, though. Including Hinata.

"Hinata?" Kiba choked.

"The Hokage," the Anbu captain started. His voice was smooth and velveteen. He appeared unaffected by the hostility of the Hyuuga. "Decided it more _prudent_ for the Anbu to take control of this mission. You can return home. Your presence is no longer needed."

"Yes, that's fine. We understand. Thank you for notifying us-" Shino began, raising his hands in surrender.

"It's a B ranked mission." Hinata interposed. "Why would the Hokage waste three Anbu operatives on a B ranked mission?"

"Further information has been learned about the target. Changing this mission's rank." The captain allured. Though the location was public and there were several additional ninjas present, the exchange between the captain and Hinata felt oddly personal. Everyone else shifted awkwardly, as though they were beholding a private scene they shouldn't be privy to.

Hinata's lips floundered helplessly. She wanted to continue to argue. Perhaps even refer to him by his name. Expose him. She knew exactly what the Uchiha was doing. He had told her last week he didn't want her going on anymore missions. But he had also promised not to meddle with her life. Yet here he was, intercepting her pathetic B ranked mission with his entourage of new Anbu recruits.

Overhead, murky grey clouds swirled, obscuring the crescent moon from view. It was almost dawn. A chilled wind weaved through the street and carried fallen blooms and wispy leaves. A single, dusky pink petal entangled itself within the indigo tresses of the irascible Hyuuga.

Hinata's lips pursed in strained annoyance, but as her delicate fingers reached to free her hair of the nuisance petal she felt a warm hand close over her wrist. Another hand gripped her waist lightly, holding her in place. She hadn't even seen him move.

Feeling the familiar warmth of the figure behind her, a small gasp escaped her parted lips. Hinata made no attempt to detach herself from their gentle but secure hold. Astral eyes widened as a single gloved hand plucked the petal from her hair with a degree of care that did not conform with baneful reputation of the Anbu captain.

"And here's your kunai, _Hina_ ta." His smooth, dark and sanguine voice lilted into her ear. His fingers traced down her collar bone, leaving a fiery trail in their wake, before he dropped the blade into the pocket of her pants. Hinata's breath hitched as she swore his fingers ghosted across her abdomen for the briefest moment before he disappeared.

She blinked, using her hand to soothe her drumming heart. Her eyes, two pools of liquid ivory, stared off into the inky darkness, ignoring her team-mates.

Kiba's eyes were wide and confused as he gaped at her. However Shino's face remained impassive, though he hadn't exhaled in four minutes.

* * *

Hinata wasn't terribly sure she was doing the right thing when she arrived at Haruno's Sakura's office that evening.

Logically it made perfect sense: Haruno was regarded as the best medic nin of her generation; she was a rather understanding and compassionate kunoichi; she was head of the hospital and she was Sasuke's team-mate… Hinata paused, her teeth sank into her bottom lip. She wasn't sure whether the latter was an advantage or an impediment.

The medic nin's green eyes sliced into Hinata. The Hyuuga was all wobbly knees and restless eyes that darted around the room in a maddening pace. Sakura's cheek twitched, a single dimple protruding as she considered the Anbu operative. The two were acquaintances, purely because they had been in the same class when they were younger and, thus, knew the same people. They didn't interact outside of missions or organized nights out. Which was why Sakura looked so confused. She wasn't exactly sure how Hinata even managed to gain access to her private office, never mind _why._

"Sakura," Hinata managed. She tried to smile. She did try.

Haruno watched a feeble smile blossom across Hinata's lips before it withered prematurely, like a silly flower blooming too early in spring "Go on," Sakura suggested. Though a small part of her secretly wished the Hyuuga wouldn't proceed.

"I'm pregnant."

Hinata looked guilty, and it trebled the medic nin's confusion. In the assortment of frenzied emotions that colored Hinata's eyes, Sakura caught a dash of pride and happiness in the white pools of the expectant mother.

Sakura's face suddenly felt very hot and she was glad she was sitting down.

The blush staining Hinata's cheeks deepened as she pressed her pointer fingers together. Sakura simply gaped at her, unable to formulate a sentence. While Sakura had suspicions something was up with the heiress; it was a completely different thing: speculating and knowing. Sakura was shocked, yes, but not surprised.

"Sit on the table and let me see," was all she said.

The Hyuuga paused, weighing her options, before she hopped up on the table. Hinata's fingers, shaky and jittery fumbled at her zipper and she allowed the oversized jacket to slide off her shoulders. Goosebumps erupted across the newly exposed skin and she stifled back a shiver.

The air felt heavy and dry. Hinata found it hard to breathe. The medic nin placed her hand softly yet firmly on Hinata's stomach. It was mostly flat, but there was the barest hint of a bump. Sakura allowed her chakra to filter into the Hyuuga.

 _There_. A tiny, teeming and irrefutably beautiful chakra flickered within Hinata. It was small but constant. The baby carried one of the most remarkable chakra signatures Sakura had ever encountered; fiery and dangerous. Brewing with endless possibilities.

Hinata activated her bloodline limit and she, too, watched the unborn baby with amazement.

The medic checked both Hinata and the baby's vitals, and searched for any irregularities or causes for concern. The baby was fine, thriving even. Draining on the entirety of Hinata's chakra and energy to help it grow and advance. Sakura frowned, it appeared Hinata was a little anemic. The unborn child had nearly exhausted all of Hinata's resources.

Hinata shifted, adjusting to the warm feeling of healing chakra invade and flush surge through her system. "Sakura, the father is-"

Sakura scoffed and stood up. "I know who the father is, Hinata. Even if I didn't have my suspicions beforehand there's no denying how much of Sasuke's chakra the baby has inherited."

* * *

The eclipsing light of the early morning, allowed him to fully comprehend how dark the mission had been.

Sunrise seemed to arrive late that day. Endless unexpected encounters with different groups of rogue shinobi underneath the harrowing, moonless night sky made the glowing faintly sun a welcomed sight to his weary tenebrous eyes. The shallow sunlight warmed his cool skin as he pushed forward.

The Uchiha's breath came out in deep raspy pants. He was fatigued beyond reason and the gnawing burn radiating in his chest insisted that he stop. Too bad he'd have to ignore it a little while longer. His gait was unhurried yet still maintained the natural grace and poise of a hunter nin.

The porcelain mask attached to his face felt tight and irritating on his throbbing cheek. A particularly unlucky missing nin had managed to smash his cheekbone, and he was certain a large poppy bruise dominated much of the left side of his face. Sasuke's retaliation had been merciless.

The walk home from the main gate was the longest that he ever remembered. Perhaps even longer than the first time he entered the village after the war; hands bound behind his back and leaning heavily on Sakura.

Blood trickling from his abdomen hit the dusty ground in even, steady, loud taps. The sound of blood fall, amidst morning birdsong, calmed him as he sauntered forward, nearing the compound. He was thankful it was still so early, the thought of intercepting Sakura or Naruto made him shiver. He was too weak, too tired and irritable to deal with their pestering.

The lone unsteady shinobi vowed to himself to never take out such an inexperienced Anbu unit again. They had been clumsy, incompetent and their fear of the unexpected barrage of enemy attacks had turned them into charges who required protection oppose to comrades to aid him. The thought of Hinata's team facing that particular mission caused his chest to tighten in an unfamiliar way.

With a final defeated sigh, he rounded the last corner and his house came into view. Lifting his head from his heavy feet he took in the familiar view of the sun peeking over the gently curving roof of the Uchiha compound. However there was something strange about the picture. It didn't quite fit in to his usual routine, and Sasuke couldn't decide if he liked it or not. It unnerved him mostly.

Sitting on the first step to his house, was a sleeping Hyuuga Hinata. Her head lolled to the side, leaning heavily against the small wooden railing that ran along the stairs and the porch. Her lips were parted ever so slightly and for some reason Sasuke found it hard to look away from them. He tilted his head sideways, to consider the scene.

Confounded, all he could do was watch her, he was too tired to put up much of a fight against the rational side of his mind. Her hair pooled over her shoulders in a waterfall of indigo tresses. He knew from experience that it was as soft as it looked. The breeze caught the sleeves of her oversized jacket and the ends of her hair, pulling her scent towards him. She smelled of lavender and vanilla. It was almost hypnotic and he quickly forgot that he should be moving somewhere or doing something.

Confusion, and perhaps concern, ebbed within his eyes as they bled crimson. Though his chakra was nearly exhausted, he thought it wise to survey her quickly. Just to make sure nothing had happened to her or… _the baby._ He swayed unsteadily with the use of kekkei genkai. His consciousness fading like the shadows surrounding Hinata. The sun was almost fully risen now. The streets would be bustling with life and noise soon.

Slowly Sasuke bent to his knees and scooped the slumbering heiress into his arms. Acute pain lanced across his arms and his heartbeat slowed too - occasionally missing a beat as he stumbled forward. Chakra exhaustion threatening to shut down his entire body, he pressed on.

The Hyuuga felt cold against his own frigid body, and she involuntarily clung to him. Her mouth somehow ended up pressed against the exposed skin of his throat.

His eyes, once again endless black, beheld her for a moment. She was docile and rather lovely while asleep. None of her usual guards were up. No perpetually worried expression marring her soft inviting features. However he could see the traces of consciousness touching her face. She twitched and flexed against the constrain of his arms. He knew she would be irritated if she did not wake up in the Hyuuga compound. Furious even. He had pondered the idea of returning her to her own bed. But a small, and indeed troubling part of him wanted her with him. Either way, his feet would take him no further than here. He couldn't turn back and deliver her to her clan, even if he wanted to.

The acute sound of blood hitting the wooden floor echoed throughout the lofty and lonely hallways of the compound. His pace was slow and unhurried, Sasuke worried if he pushed his body any further he would crumple and hit the ground. Hinata felt heavy, yet comforting in his aching arms. He slipped through an open door and welcomed the crepuscular lighting of his bedroom.

The room was dark, expansive and sparely decorated. An impossibly large bed dressed in dark hues stood in the center of the room. Hesitant, Sasuke laid the sleeping heiress down on the bed. Caving into exhaustion, he rolled onto his back beside her. Though the pair were close, they did not touch. His eyes fluttered shut and a sigh of relief emitted from his blood stained lips.

The euphoric weightlessness feeling and _warmth_ that had, just prior, enveloped and encompassed the Hyuuga vanished abruptly. Leaving a chill of absence creep along her entire figure in the form of a small but strong tremor. Hinata could feel her unconsciousness peel away and the first traces of lamentable wakefulness assaulted her keen senses. She had been having such _lovely_ dreams.

She was cold, she realized blearily. No, she was _freezing_. Chilled to her bone marrow. She felt as though someone had poured ice water into her veins.

Cracking a regretful eye open she peered at the ceiling as she attempted to gather her bearings. She didn't remember getting home, and her body ached as though she had fallen asleep on the ground, or something equally as hard and uncomfortable. However now, she winced, she appeared to be in a room. An impossibly dark and impossibly sumptuous room. She appeared to be lying on a bed, far larger and softer than her own.

She froze. Her entire body going rigid. Unfriendly bouts of realization simmered through her thoughts as she tilted her head sideways to observe the figure laying just inches from her. So close, their warm breath ghosted across her cheeks.

"Relax," his voice would have sounded irritated if it didn't sound so papery and weak. "You've been here before." He reminded her.

Hinata was thankful his eyes were still closed and he wore a mask so that he could not see the lustrous shade of red she turned. "I shouldn't be here," she whispered back. Not exactly sure if she was telling him or herself.

"It's a little late for that," he muttered.

Hinata sprang upright, clutching her hand to heart she surveyed the scene. She was still fully clothed and he…she paused, her eyes widening. _Sasuke_ was wounded.

She moved quickly then, her kekkei genkai activated she scanned him. His chakra levels dilapidated, a fractured cheekbone, a long laceration running the length of his forearm and a gaping wound on his abdomen that was bleeding badly. Dark, thick liquid rolled down his sides and pooled onto the bed. Hinata stifled back a gasp.

"Y-you need a medic," she whispered thickly. She was finding it hard to swallow. In fact she was finding it hard to breathe or think. She had never seen him this way before: exhausted and wounded, and it terrified her.

She leaned over him, prying the bloodstained mask from his face. He was thankful, it made it easier to breathe somewhat. A wheezy cough rattled from bruised chest to his blood coated lips. "Sasuke?" Hinata pressed, her quivering hands touched his chilled shoulders. "Can I take you to the hospital?"

"No,"

"Can I get Sakura?"

"No."

She trembled, a cold wash of worry drowned her features. He cracked a single eye open to regard her. Her face looked pained and sad at his truculent response. He hated being the one to make her feel like that. She got up then, making no other attempt to converse with him.

Blearily, Sasuke thought she had left. He couldn't decide whether it pleased him or not. He enjoyed the quietude that settled after she left. But there was a gnawing sense of abandonment that swelled deep within his tightened chest. He ignored his confusing emotions, opting to focus on the more favorable agony taking hold of his body. His eyelids; heavy and overbearing closed as his system began to shut down.

Nothing made sense then. There was only pain. Excruciating pain, radiating from his abdomen and it was eating away at his very soul.

Absently he became aware that someone was touching him. His body tensed underneath their touch, but their ministrations did not cease. He felt someone pry his white amour plate from his torso and they allowed it to fall to floor with a _thud_. It hurt his ears, he winced, but they showed no concern or hesitation.

He heard further noises, though they sounded distant and distorted. As though he was submerged underwater. The steady drum of a hummingbird heartbeat, the decisive tear of his shirt being ripped and a small sniffling – perhaps crying, he wasn't sure.

He felt tiny flutters of ice-cold fingers flutter across the hard planes of his abdomen. She wrapped a starch bandage several times around his stomach to stop the incessant bleeding. It felt itchy against his skin, but he couldn't find his lips to complain.

He felt the same fingers trail a series of butterfly touches up and down the length of his arm. They disappeared for a moment, and he was thankful. Their coolness burned his skin and as he slipped in and out of consciousness.

She dabbed some sort of ointment on his minor wounds. It seemed to sting him, Hinata noted, as he flinched underneath her touch. She ignored it, moving on to sending small jolts of chakra into his blocked passageways. It would aid with healing.

With a spare strip of fabric from his ripped shirt she started to clean some of the blood from his arms, his abdomen, his chest, his throat, _his lips.._. She paused there, gripping the bloodied cloth, she looked at him. Really looked at him, in a way she hadn't in such a long time. Taking in the angular curvature of his nose, how his thick sooty lashes casted a crescent moon shadow along his bruised but aristocratic cheekbones, how decisive his eyebrows were, how his bottom lip was fuller than his top. What a nice shade of muted crimson they were, she mused. Perhaps she had been staring a little too long or that a single strand of her hair fell forward and brushed across his broken cheek but he stirred beneath her.

Reflectively his hand snapped up and ensnared around her wrist.

His inky eye lashes flickered, but did not open. For that she was thankful, she wasn't what her expression looked like.

She thought he was going to reprimand her, ask her to leave or insult her. All were likely outcomes. But he remained quiet for a long moment, listening to her thrumming heartbeat speed up and eventually lull to a calm pace.

"You're freezing," he noted.

"You could have died,"

He snorted at that. "Could have," he agreed. His voice was quiet and soft and so different from the guarded and uninterested tone he usually employed. A small shiver quivered through her body, and this time it was not from the cold. "But didn't."

Her delicate fingers flexed in his grip. She was still holding the bloodied cloth. The whole room stank of blood, the astringent scent made his noise scrunch. He felt her shift her weight and the mattress dipped with her movement, jostling him slightly. His cheek hurt.

Hinata watched the look of pain lance across his face. "Your cheek is quite badly broken. It will need a medic."

"I know," he wheezed flatly, dropping her hand.

She waited there, in the darkness of his strange room. She'd been here before, of course. But under starkly different circumstances. Sasuke had never been so motionless. She never had this much clothes on. And they certainly had never conversed this much. Sasuke struggled to verbally convey emotion and Hinata had never been good with talking, so they always opted to converse with each other through physical actions and ministrations.

Nothing was known of their clandestine meetings. They were both private people who seemed to disappear from parties and missions at the same time. But no one read into it. Simple _coincidence_. Just like how they always seemed to _coincidentally_ end up sharing rooms – sharing beds – on their away missions together. And while she spent more time in his company than any other man, she was never foolish enough to ask about something as frivolous as feelings or emotions to him. And, in a strange way, disregarding her own attachment to him had been working out perfectly fine. Until now.

Things were different, Hinata realized. He had never let down his guard this much to her before. He never allowed her to see him wounded. He would always wave her off or simply avoid her on missions when he was injured. He didn't like displaying weakness to anyone, and now it appeared Hinata was the exception. She wasn't sure how she felt about that just yet.

She eyed him, his lips were tinged blue from the frigid air and his blood loss. She reached for one of the silk blankets laying at the foot of the bed and placed it on top of him carefully. For some reason the thought of him cold on top of being so wounded didn't sit with her. In fact, it made her stomach churn.

She hovered over him, giving him one last quick scan with her kekkei genkai. His chakra levels were rejuvenating and his wounds had already begun to heal. His natural healing abilities were second only to Naruto's. Though his cheek would still need to be tended to by a medic nin. Probably Sakura, and that kunoichi would have no trouble restoring it to its perfect state. Hinata frowned, she wished she could help more.

"Do you need me to do anything else?" Perhaps he wanted a drink or food.

"No,"

She bit her lip, unable to look at him for her next question. "Do you want me to stay?"

"Yes."

* * *

Hinata, he realized - this morning in particular - was a rather pretty picture in pretty surroundings. The kunoichi in question, leaned against the doorway of his kitchen sipping on tea and admiring the intricate flower arrangements of his garden. The sun was beginning to set, and the sky was a fiery blaze of vivid colors that stained her hair red in the warm, unearthly light.

It was sometime in the evening, and Sasuke had just woken up. He didn't care to check the time. It didn't matter currently. He moved forward, until he was standing beside her. Though he appreciated the beauty of the sunset, his eyes remained on Hinata. The sight of Hinata standing on his porch was not an image he was privy to every day, unlike the sunset.

"I went to Sakura yesterday," Hinata said. Her grip on the cup tightened, and Sasuke stared at the strange action, pondering what it meant - as though it mattered in the grand scheme of things. "She banned me from missions," her laugh was not friendly, "I'm sure you're happy to hear."

"Not happy," he corrected. "But pleased."

He didn't revel in the Hyuuga's entrapment to the village. He knew she would grow bored and listless being unable to help or aid Konoha. But he wouldn't allow her do something reckless and endanger the baby. His baby. _Their baby_. It was such a strange concept, even the Uchiha genius found it hard to grasp.

The conversation lapsed into a quietness only filled by the breeze filtering through the trees and the distinct sound of city life in the distance. Sasuke opted to lean against one of the ornate pillars. He trained his eyes forward to the clouds as he recalled last night. He'd found the Hyuuga asleep on his doorstep and she had tended to his wounds with a degree of courtesy and care he was not familiar with. It made him uncomfortable. His jaw flexed as he struggled to figure out whether he liked it or not. Again, of course, he came up with no resolute answers. The Hyuuga presented him with congeries of unfathomable questions with no answers.

"Why were you asleep on my doorstep?"

Hinata fixed her gaze to the contents of her mug. She hoped the burnt orange glow of the sun hid her traitorous blush. She opened her mouth, but hesitated, she didn't want him to be irritated with her. Sasuke was a solitary person, he didn't like people forcing their presence upon him. He sought out company. Company never sought out him.

"I'd just come from the hospital and I wanted to talk to you. But you weren't home so I decided to sit and wait. I must have just fallen asleep." Her teeth sank into her bottom lip. "I don't really remember," she muttered.

"You could have just let yourself in," he pointed out. She could detect traces of irritation in his voice. It was the same disapproving tone he took with her on missions when she did something reckless or got injured.

She made a face at the absurdity of suggestion. "N-no, that would have been a little intrusive and rude."

"I think it's a little late for such formalities, _Hina_ ta." The Uchiha pointed out matter-of-factly.

Reflectively, their opposing eyes flickered down to her abdomen. Her body tensed beneath the scrutiny of Sasuke, in a way it often did. His opinion of her, both physically and mentally always seemed to matter more to her than it should. Wide white eyes peeked upwards to meet his gaze. He did not look away; his endless orbs catching her and locking her in place. Even though they were standing several feet apart, Hinata felt suffocated by their proximity. She felt as though if his hands reached forward they would not only brush against her skin but her very soul.

It was _that look_. The look he reserved exclusively for enemies just before he ended them, and Hinata, just before he kissed her. Dark, sinful and lascivious. He took in her expression: a palatable doe caught in headlights. Her plump parted lips caught his attention and held it.

The lips in question floundered helplessly. An abrupt need to sever the tension between them consumed her thoughts. The haunting silence and those dusky eyes were not helping her restrain or composure. "I-I should probably leave."

Sasuke blinked, relinquishing his hold on her. She exhaled for the first time in two minutes. If he noticed he never said.

He was a practical and forward person. He did not like teetering around a subject. "We'll need to plan a strategy." Sasuke considered as he returned his gaze to the open vast sky. "Do some reconnaissance and figure out some things. So we're prepared when the time arrives."

"We're having a baby, Sasuke, not going on an S ranked mission."

Sasuke didn't look convinced. Or perhaps he just didn't see the difference.

Their eyes seemed drawn to another once more. But it was purely innocent this time, veiled by curiosity and tinged by caution. Sasuke broke their gaze first, and Hinata followed suit, content to watch the lazy puffy clouds crawl across the resplendent sky in union. The pair had a lot to figure out. They also had a daunting deadline. Only eight more months.

She left after a while, returning to her clan's side of the city. Sasuke watched her go wordlessly. Her absence left the compound feeling emptier than usual.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four, Serendipity.**

* * *

 _As Hinata stood before them, it struck her not for the first time, that she had made a grave error. That perhaps her reasoning for leaving Suna - for leaving Gaara - had been as foolish as it was impulsive._

 _Hinata didn't think she would ever forget how uncomfortable he made her when an unfamiliar emotion lit those black eyes of his as he watched her refusing to acknowledge him._

 _He was flanked by two other masked Anbu operatives who watched Hinata through the slits in their illustrated masks. Though their gazes were suffused with scrutiny and tinged with resentment, it was the look simmering within the black pools of the captain that caused her to twitch nervously._

" _Welcome to Konoha's Anbu, Hinata," Kakashi remarked, his voice low and reassuring. "You have been placed in Uchiha's unit." The masked man nodded in the direction of his former student with a strange restrained fondness dwelling in his slate grey eyes. "I'm sure Sasuke will look after you, ne?"_

 _Reflectively ivory eyes flickered upwards to meet the Uchiha's ebony ones. She hadn't seen him in a while. She hadn't seen him since that night in Suna._

* * *

Her pale, willowy and undeniably fragile fingers clung to the bright orange cup as she watched the first drops of rain dash against the window. The watery droplets clung to the windowpane , desperately, before they fell and meandered downwards.

"Hinata?"

The pestilent inquiry of her name shattered her trail of illusory thoughts and Hinata flinched at the insidious undertone of their voice. A trickle of tea spilled from her jittery movements onto the tatami mat. It made an odd resounding noise. She thought back to the night Sasuke returned home from his mission, wounded and weary. The acute sound of Sasuke's blood hitting the floor in even, soft steady taps and how much it bothered her.

"E-excuse me, Hyuuga-sama. Could you repeat that?" Hinata asked slowly, a touch of colour blossoming across her wintry skin.

A dozen pairs of featureless eyes flickered to regard the young heiress as the room's air grew stagnant and heavy. Hinata felt her chest constrict, trapping any words she might have said deep within her.

A shiver of anticipation crawled along Hinata's skin as her grip on the cup flexed and tightened. Hiashi's face was unreadable. The perfect Hyuuga facade. Allowing one's face to act as a blank canvas to reflect the viewer's own emotions. She saw her own unbridled fear simmer within the icy white depths of the clan leader's eyes.

He did not reply.

Time continued to pass, coated in thick silence - apart from the clock on the wall behind her father. _Tick. Tick. Tick._

Anxiety sank its merciless teeth into her as she became the center of attention in the room. Did her father know? Her fingers dug into the orange mug, in a feeble effort to stop her hands shaking. There was something within his blank expression that caused her heart to skid to an ungraceful halt.

But it was the look of unadulterated horror etched into Hanabi's face that caused Hinata's limbs to go limp and powerless. Something was wrong. This was not one of Hiashi's usual reprimands.

"I am no longer a young man, and it is time for you to fulfill your inherited duties to the clan." Hiashi turned to regard the rest of the room. "I am officially relinquishing my title as clan head and entrusting it to my eldest daughter. The preparations for Hinata's coronation will start tomorrow."

The room seemed to tilt on its axis and everything blurred out of focus. A hot flush burned her cheeks as her lips parted in horror. She could feel bile rising up along the back of her throat.

Another unsettling silence claimed the room, thicker than the suffocating tension lacing the atmosphere. Dozens of restless white eyes dropped their gaze from Hinata, in an effort to hide their shock, or perhaps outrage - Hinata wasn't sure. Some elders shifted in their seats, attempting to busy themselves from the matter at hand. While Hinata's grandmother bit her lip to hide her scowl.

Unnoticed by all, Hanabi's hand reached upwards, her movements unsure but fluid. She ran a single finger across her smooth forehead, considering.

"But of course, a clan leader must be married." Hiashi's wan eyes flickered from his clansmen to the large window that looked over the ornate gardens. The rain had eased off but cumbersome murky clouds remained stitched into the fabric of the sky. The white roses glower faintly underneath the mottled light. Their ivory waxen petals waving in the gentle breeze. "I had," Hiashi paused, his voice sombre. "Always envisioned Hinata and Neji...but so be it." He shrugged his shoulders, the movement causing his hair to fall forward, obscuring his eyes. "The elders still have some time to pick a worthy suitor."

* * *

The dying sun was kind to the kunoichi in front of him; her angular features looked softer and when the dappled sunlight caught her hair it looked like pink flames curling around her arms and bare throat.

Her chary hands were outstretched towards him, her glowing fingertips dancing across his bruised cheeks in butterfly touches. Her healing chakra coursed through him, like familiar warmth flooding his system causing his defenses and reflexes to slacken. The Uchiha stood in front of her, the backdrop of Team 7's training ground during sunset blazed behind him.

Just as his eyelashes fluttered shut, allowing himself to finally relax, he felt an unnatural spike in her chakra.

A pale hand snapped upwards to clamp around the wrist of her extended arm. In one fluid motion he jerked the kunoichi closer to him. She stumbled forward, her cheeks matched her pinken hair, but her eyes were dangerous and jaded.

He peered her. His expression unreadable.

Her chakra bubbling and teeming beneath his fingertips burned him.

"Sasuke," she started, and his lips twitched upwards at the crack in her voice.

It was hard, she thought, remaining perfectly composed with Uchiha Sasuke clutching her wrist. His dark simmering eyes fixing her in place so he could offer her his full, unyielding and coveted attention.

"What have I done to make you want to kill me this time, Sakura?" His voice was low and amused. Each word serrated with a dark undertone that caused Sakura to shrink back.

She ignored the underhanded dig at their tempestuous relationship. Though she was smiling it was no longer friendly, and Sasuke became aware that she was voluntarily remaining in his clutches. He was all too aware of the physical strength she exerted over him. It was curious, he mused. Perhaps she didn't want to alert Naruto of their predicament, or perhaps her intentions were entirely different.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Go on, you've managed to pique my interests with your little charade."

"I know," she retorted, her arm flexed beneath his fingers. His grip tightened reflectively as her cold emerald glower seared with an intensity that only someone as volatile as Sakura could ever summon. It spilled from her evocative eyes and coated the air around them. "If you hurt her," she warned, her throat dry. "If you leave-"

The Uchiha could see his lack of surprise at her declaration unnerved her. He took the advantage by disarming her. He snatched the kunai from her free hand that was angled towards his abdomen. "I don't intend to," he admitted honestly.

"You don't always _intend_ to hurt people Sasuke. You just seem incapable of achieving anything else at times." Sakura's voice was soft and hushed. No malice tinged her feathery words. The clouds overhead moved her face in and out of the setting sun's light. The shadows from the clouds crawled over her creamy skin in inky shaped blotches. "Sometimes people set out with the best intentions but still end up ruining everything."

"And what were _your_ intentions with this kunai?"

Frustration at his amusement dug its claws into Sakura and her famed temper flared. Her face grew red and her taunt muscles tightened as she clenched her free hand. She hated how he was treating this like a game. Ignoring the real matter at hand in favor of taunting and toying with her.

"Sasuke," she hissed.

"What the hell is going on?" A loud voice interjected causing the two old comrades to freeze.

Naruto stood several feet from them. His usual cheery disposition was notably absent and in its place: disquieting caution that hardened his features. He looked wary. And unimpressed.

Sakura swore internally, taking in his almost pained expression as he peered at her and Sasuke's heated exchange. She could only imagine what their proximity insinuated to Naruto; her wrist in Sasuke's hands and their eyes locked together. The tension between so thick and heady Sakura almost choked every time she inhaled.

Sasuke sensing Sakura panic, unceremoniously dropped her hand and took a step backwards. However, guilt did not marr his features like Sakaru. In fact, petulance curled his angular lips into a serrated scowl. Naruto had intruded and interrupted something. The indignation felt by Sasuke due to Naruto's arrival was sacrosanct.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked again, eyeing Sasuke.

His team-mates continued to stare at him. Sakura, with her wide conflicted eyes and distress illustrated across her dainty features reminded Naruto so much of her younger self; all insecurities and bony limbs. Sasuke, remained emotionless. His hands pocketed and his eyes lacking their usual knowingness. It was the tightness of his jaw that caught Naruto's attention.

Naruto wasn't angry at them. He was all too aware of the convoluted and brilliantly intricate relationship Sasuke and Sakura shared. Too much had conspired

between the pair not to have a complete and sustainable universe between them that no one - not even Naruto - was privy to. He knew Sasuke would never disrespect him and that Sakura loved him, not Sasuke - not anymore atleast. But it was still hard, watching his two favourite people keep something from him. He hated not being included.

"What's-" the blonde asked. His tone was softer this time. Pleading almost. Crestfallen.

"It's-" she started shakily.

"Sakura," Sasuke interjected. His tone dropping in warning. His dark gaze darted towards her, consuming her and causing her to shrink backwards.

"He's going to find out Sasuke." Sakura returned. But her voice no longer carried the bravado of before. It was docile and worried. " _Everyone_ is going to find out. It's not really something you can hide."

"If someone doesn't tell me what's going on I am going to throw both you in jail when I'm Hokage." Naruto growled.

"Hinata's pregnant," Sakura admitted.

The confusion did not leave the blue depths of Naruto's eyes. He blinked, shaking his head. While this news was rather significant due to how defamatory and unexpected it was, Naruto could not understand why his team-mates appeared so invested in the situation. From his knowledge Sakura didn't really like Hinata, and Sasuke...well Sasuke didn't really like anyone.

"That's...surprising," Naruto's voice was slow and considering. His eyebrows scrunched together, creating confused wrinkles on his forehead. "Whose the father? Gaara?"

" _No,"_

Both Sakura and Naruto paused, and turned to peer at Sasuke. His tone had been cold, acidic and carried a measurement of emotion neither had ever heard before. Something about Naruto's comment had caused the Uchiha to brood. It was curious.

The Uchiha looked almost..offended? But that didn't make sense to Naruto. He tried again looking at Sakura. "So whose the father?"

"It's...Sasuke,"

* * *

There was no denying it. Today had been terrible.

And Hinata, was so exhausted from it all. Her eyes, two white decisive pools of emotions were red and puffy. Her bottom lip carried indents from how often her teeth sank downwards to stop herself from saying something reckless.

The moon looked tired and wan too, as if it shouldn't be up on a night like this. It rose unwillingly behind dark ribbons of black clouds and hung in the starless sky like a uneasy spectator.

Lunar light spilled into Hanabi's room through her open window, and bleached the vibrant colour scheme. Hanabi had not redecorated her room in five years. The sombre younger Hyuuga claimed she simply didn't have the time. But Hinata had always ruminated that her stoic sister adored the childish colours and the shelves overspilling with toys.

Hinata shivered and in turn nestled closer to Hanabi, who stiffened but didn't protest. The teenager lay on her side, turned away from her older sister. Though she enjoyed stuffed toys and glittering fairy lights in secrecy, her aversion to touch or physical affection was not a charade.

Hinata often snuck into her sister's bedroom after a particular harsh clan meeting or a dangerous mission, or even Naruto. The blonde shinobi always seemed to make Hinata's eyes well up at night. But it had been years.

"I love you Hanabi," Hinata mentioned. Her voice breathy and soft in the stillness of the night.

The girl in question squirmed in response. Accepting the declaration in the only way she knew how. "I know," was how she reciprocated the confession.

"I won't brand you."

Hinata's words, so very simple and reassuring, evoked a torrent of emotions from Hanabi. The brunette with the waifish figure and uncompromising eyes was not used to such foolish emotions such as worry and fear. Those were reserved for her elder sister exclusively. Until recently. Until the superiority Hanabi had always exerted over her sister had begun to dwindle. With the way Hinata had grown, Hanabi doubted anyone was Hinata's superior now.

"It's tradition Hinata," Hanabi argued.

Hinata clenched her fists. Her small nails pressing into her palm. "I don't care about traditions. I am breaking enough of them as it is." She felt Hanabi's curiosity piqued at that comment, but Hinata refused to divulge. "I won't brand you," she whispered more to herself than her sister. "I swear it."

Hanabi, once curled inwards to herself, straightened out. Extending her long legs and turned over, so she was facing her elder sister. Hinata's hair, usually darkened indigo, looked such a strange colour underneath the moonlight, Hanabi thought.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Hanabi said. All traces of childish insecurities and emotions stripped from her angular features. Her featureless eyes narrowed but approachable.

Hinata nodded solemnly. She didn't really either. And as the silence claimed the two sisters, both their minds drifted off on different courses of thoughts. Hanabi, with a sombre expression thought about how she would never be the leader of the clan and how she would never be fit to be Konohamaru's wife now. A marked branch member. How all her subsequent children would be branded too.

Hinata was thinking of him. Of the brevity yet longevity of their affair. How it started in Suna, under the cloudless sky and sun drenched sand that entangled itself in Sasuke's hair and made him curse and sulk. She remembered the contrast of his pale skin against his dark silken sheets and how he was unable to start his day without coffee. Images of his indifferent expression every time they parted danced across her mind. She thought of how much more complicated this impaired their already convoluted and dizzingly confusing situation.

The baby, her heart fluttered within her chest, at the mention of the undoubtedly pale and dark-haired being growing and teeming inside her. The baby, by birthright would be heir to both the Hyuuga and Uchiha clan.

Her teeth sank into the fleshy expanse of her bottom lip, as a small wave of relief rolled through her. At least she would never have to worry about her child being branded.

But another complication had occurred. A seminal one. An obstacle she didn't even know how to approach Sasuke about without resulting in an episode of the Uchiha wraith he was so famous for. Her father and the clan elders were going to pick her a suitor, probably from the clan. She had no idea what Sasuke would do. She had no idea what she would do.

"Hinata," Hanabi called softly. The darkness painted her a dark silhouette with two protruding, almost glowing white eyes. "Can I ask you a question?"

Something heavy and insidious crawled into the air, and Hinata suddenly found it hard to breathe. Her silence was enough approval for Hanabi to continue.

"Why do you mould your chakra into a shield around your torso? Is it just a habit from Anbu missions."

Hinata nodded, weakly. Unable to garner control over her voice.

Hanabi's eyes fluttered shut. "It's a good idea I suppose. I can't see your chakra points."

* * *

The flowers laid on the table, their once beautiful petals curled at edges from the exhausting heat of Suna. Already their stalks were limp and when the Kazekage plucked them up, their feeble heads fall with gravity towards the table. He considered them for a moment, a scowl pinched across his cheeks.

"Temari," he called.

He watched his abrasive sister look up from her work and raise an accusing eyebrow in answer. Her blonde hair was unusually down and framed her face in a way that almost made her look harmless. Almost.

"It's Kakashi inauguration anniversary soon," he said. "Would you fancy accompanying me to Konoha for the celebrations?"

Something wicked gleamed within her turquoise eyes. And he could only imagine there was something wicked within his own devious smirk.


End file.
